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<\/p>\nAsia\u2019s fourth-largest economy is halting the operations of two nuclear power reactors to replace unauthorized equipment that was supplied using fake documentation, South Korea\u2019s nuclear regulator said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission also delayed the
\nrestart of operations at two other reactors that were closed last
\nyear, also over forged documents, Reuters reported.<\/p>\n
Two of the affected nuclear reactors are in Kori, about 320 km (198
\nmiles) southeast of Seoul, and in Wolsong, about 280 km (173 miles)
\nfrom the capital. The reactors each have a maximum capacity of
\n1,000 megawatts.<\/p>\n
The shutdown of the reactors is more than just an embarrassment for
\nthe South Korean government, which has said the closures present no
\npublic threat. The country is heavily dependent on outside supplies
\nof oil, gas and coal, with about a third of its electricity coming
\nfrom nuclear power generation.<\/p>\n
This is not the first time that Seoul has been forced to shut down
\nnuclear reactors over false certificates.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, six nuclear engineers and equipment suppliers
\nwere handed prison sentences in connection with the supply of
\nunauthorized \u2018non-core equipment\u2019 (cooling fans, cables and
\nswitches, which require international certification), mainly to the
\nYeonggwang complex on the southwest coast.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The nuclear plant was forced to shut down three of the plant\u2019s
\nsix reactors in November, a move that prompted authorities to
\ninspect equipment at all of the country\u2019s 23 nuclear facilities
\nnationwide.<\/p>\n
The shutdown of Yeonggwang sparked fear among locals as some
\n2,500 villagers staged a protest outside the sprawling complex.
\nHundreds of riot police and security officers were sent to the
\ndemonstration, but there were no reports of violence, the Yonhap
\nnews agency reported.<\/p>\n
On February 9, 2012, the Gori-1 reactor near the southern city
\nof Busan briefly lost power and the emergency backup generator
\nfailed to work.<\/p>\n
Public fear over South Korea\u2019s nuclear reactor shutdowns could
\nhave its roots in Japan\u2019s Fukushima nuclear disaster that occurred
\nin the wake of the Tokohu earthquake and tsunami of March 11,
\n2011.<\/p>\n
The most powerful earthquake to ever hit Japan (9.0 on the
\nRichter scale) triggered the largest nuclear disaster since the
\nChernobyl accident of 1986. Residents within a 20 km (12 mi) radius
\nof the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant were forced to
\nevacuate due to the release of radiation.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the shutdown of the South Korean nuclear plants,
\nwhile not a public threat, have sparked fears of widespread power
\nshortages as the nation braces for the summer season, when public
\ndemand for air conditioning peaks.<\/p>\n
The shutdown will begin on Tuesday, according to a spokesman at
\nKorea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co Ltd, which runs nuclear reactors
\nin South Korea and is owned by state-run utility Korea Electric
\nPower Corp.<\/p>\n
A fourth newly-built nuclear power reactor, also in Wolsong,
\nwhich is waiting for approval to resume operations, will have its
\ncables replaced, the statement added.<\/p>\n
The latest plant closures present a setback for the South Korean
\ngovernment, which had been hoping to expand the construction of
\nnuclear power facilities as energy needs surge.<\/p>\n
Robert Bridge, RT<\/i><\/p>\n